Posted on 06/13/2007 12:56:54 PM PDT by jazusamo
A violent dog can be as deadly as a loaded gun, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday - and the dog can get you in just as much trouble with the law if you misuse it.
The pit bull that a Vancouver man ordered to attack a police officer last year counts as a "deadly weapon" under Washington law, Judge David Armstrong found, and can justify a harsher sentence in an assault.
It could be an especially important ruling for owners of pit bulls, a mixed breed whose surging popularity since the mid-1990s has led many puppies to be taken from their mothers before developing crucial social skills, according to Clark County's lead animal control officer.
On March 20, 2006, Vancouver Police Detective Bryan Acee shot and killed a pit bull that leapt at his throat after he entered the home of Robbie Hoeldt to serve an outstanding arrest warrant.
Hoeldt had the dog on a leash. Acee said Hoeldt released the leash and made a gesture apparently commanding the dog to attack.
"A dog is an instrument that can be used to cause death or substantial bodily harm," wrote Armstrong, rejecting Hoeldt's appeal of the 38-month assault sentence he received in May 2006. Armstrong was acting for the court's second division in Tacoma.
The decision didn't specify a legal difference between pit bulls or any other breed, and experts say all dogs can be dangerous if mistreated or trained to attack.
But pit bulls, thanks in part to their rising numbers, now account for almost a quarter of Clark County Animal Control's dog-related calls, said Dennis Davidson, the agency's lead officer.
"It is the fad dog that we have right now," Davidson said.
But that popularity has made some dogs victims in the hands of careless entrepreneurs, Davidson said.
"Puppies come eight weeks of age, they sell them for $250," he said. "People don't understand that eight to 12 weeks is the most important training period that a mother has for a pu ppy dog."
The dogs can grow up without a necessary sense for danger, Davidson said. They tend to be friendly to humans - often making them ineffective guard dogs - but can attack other animals.
Increasingly, he said, insurance companies refuse to cover pit bulls.
A pit bull puppy should stay with its mother for at least three months, Davidson said, even after it's weaned from her milk.
"They're not bad dogs, they just need to have the right owners," said Chuck Tourtillott, director of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. "It's a special commitment - more so than most of your other breeds."
Tourtillott said all pit bulls should go through obedience training. If you can't afford obedience training, he said, you shouldn't try to afford a pit bull.
Davidson said pit bulls' media celebrity makes them attractive to people wanting a status symbol.
"The attitude is, if I can control that animal and no one else can, then that makes me pretty big, pretty important," he said. "Sometimes, people with personality defects ... will gravitate to such an animal."
An effort by The Columbian to reach Hoeldt for comment was unsuccessful.
Yep, wipe out the pit bulls. They’re a threat, right? Tomorrow, we start with rotts. The next day, dobies, the next day, oh, every breed with teeth. That should make mommy and daddy feel better when little Timmy is running around the street. Yeh.
Ping!
Other than misleading headline not a bad article.
The STEEL TRAP JAW dogs. Pits, Chows and Rotties....I avoid being on the same side of the street with them.
My fist is just as deadly as any dog if I hit the correct point.
IT’S A MOOT POINT.
?
Why not just outlaw stupidity?
Yes, I know it would completely empty the legal benches, but if you’re going to criminalize something, why not go for the big one first?
ping
They’re not bad dogs, they just need to have the right owners,” said Chuck Tourtillott, director of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. “It’s a special commitment - more so than most of your other breeds.”
Someone with common sense. Our family raised and sold pits for many years when I was young. Pits HAVE to be trained and treated correctly. We had a male and a female who were the best family dogs we ever had.
I’m “Illustrating stupidity with stupidity.”
Hi Cal, I should have pinged you.
Yeah, it’s a shame these useless dogs are attacking women and children instead of your iron fist.
NP. I found my way here :)
I agree. The sad thing is what is brought out in the article, many are bought by people who don’t know the first thing about them and have them for the wrong reasons.
When was the last time you saw a headline that said “Toy Poodle Mauls Toddler”????
I don’t attack anybody...
Including on here.
Well, that's because you're a fawn and not one of the macho posters up above.
A pit trained a certain way IS a dangerous weapon.
Some people own pit bulls for the same reason some people drive Corvettes.
No disrespect to any Corvette owners. LOL!
Okay, gotcha. I didn’t understand your meaning.
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